Android (rooted): Our favorite custom Android ROM, CyanogenMod, has come out with a release candidate of its next version, complete with some Ice Cream Sandwich visual effects, a predictive phone dialer, and more.

We love Android, but rooting your phone can give you the opportunity to do so much more than your…
Read more Read more

We're still waiting for CyanogenMod 9, the Ice Cream Sandwich version of our favorite Android ROM, but the CyanogenMod team has come out with a small update to hold us over. It has some of Ice Cream Sandwich's transition and rotation effects, which adds some pizazz to the OS, plus an awesome predictive phone dialer, much like the one found in HTC's Sense UI or Samsung's TouchWiz UI. As you type numbers, it'll also search your contacts for people that match the numbers and letters as you type. It also has a number of bug fixes, plus advanced options for quiet hours, calendar reminders, and more. It also supports over 20 new devices, so if you've never tried out CyanogenMod, hit the link below to see if it's available for you (or check out the changelog to see all its newest features).

CyanogenMod is a free download for rooted Android devices. As always, the Release Candidate may still have a bug or two, but should be stable enough for everyday use.